America’s Got Talent 2022 Recap: Qualifiers 2 (Live Blog)

America's Got Talent Yu Hojin
Pictured: Yu Hojin — (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC)

After nine weeks of auditions, 55 contestants are ready to compete for a spot in the finale. Eleven contestants will perform over five weeks, with two leaving the competition by the end of Wednesday’s results show.

VOTING: To vote for your favorite act, download the official America’s Got Talent phone app at the Apple store and Google Play, and/or vote at nbc.com/activate. All voting methods CLOSE Wednesday 7 am ET.

Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara sit on the panel, while Terry Crews hosts. 

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The Pack Drumline – Dancing, drumline

The group has struggled over the years, but they have prevailed. There are members of their team who are homeless. They hope AGT changes their lives. The group, which combines dance and drumming, have stepped it up this time. The staging and lighting are top notch. Lots of energy up on that stage. They won’t advance, but maybe better gigs and funding will come out of the exposure.

Howie says they deserve to be in the finals. But warns that the competition is fierce. Heidi feels the energy. “This is the way to open the show, says Sofia. Simon adds, “That’s how you WIN the show.” He senses that they want to win and he appreciates their energy and passion. “Masterclass.”

The Brown Brothers – Singing, impressions

Both brothers have been diagnosed with autism, and both did stints in the military. One brother does impressions, the other accompanies the act on instruments. Once again, the one brother imitates all sorts of characters and personalities including Simon Cowell and Blake Shelton. The performance is partially pre-taped, which allows “characters” to sing together. I guess that’s how they upped their game? But it’s really not that impressive.

Heidi thinks they “really turned up the volume.” Sofia calls it original and clever. “At the point you did me, everything got better,” Simon jokes. He compliments the production team. Howie thinks they present their act in a new and surprising way. He predicts the video will go viral.

Mr. Pants – Comedian

Mr. Pants is a pair of pants with his head sticking out where his you-know-what is supposed to be. He introduces his family as a family of pants. Like last time, he tells a bunch of pants adjacent jokes. The reaction is tepid. Not surprising, it’s a gimmick that wears thin pretty fast. Simon buzzes him, but Mr. Pants keeps going. He ends the act, stripping off his pants costume to reveal an underwear costume. Yawn. He shouldn’t have gone through in the first place.

Sofia thinks he upped his game. Seriously? Simon says “I like you,” but he was expecting other jokes about other things. He was hoping he’d come out as a sock, or something. Howie loves Dad jokes, Heidi agrees. They both added punny pants jokes to their critiques. Why.

Fusion Japan – Dance Group

The two groups were rival dance groups who brought their different styles together to present epic performances. They boys do break dancing while the girls perform very stylized jazz routines. This time, they dance against a backdrop of classical music. It’s very cinematic. They haven’t necessarily upped their game, however.

Simon is impressed that the group travelled to the US from Japan. “That was better than your audition performance.” Howie believes they show the strength of rivals working together. He makes an analogy to the current political client in America. Heidi loves how they mesh the dance styles together.

Freckled Zelda – Singing Fairy

Zelda compares her journey to a video game. She plays an instrument that Simon didn’t like. But actually, it’s the thing that makes her popular on Tik Tok. She enters the stage through the audience while singing “The Neverending Story” which is the perfect pick for her schtick. Her dress is very pretty! She seems nervous, though. Her voice is shaky. The track is drowning her out. She breaks out her instrument. Maybe the appearance will add to her socials. She already has millions of followers.

Zelda handed Simon a strawberry shaped Ocarina. Howie confesses that he’s confused. Heidi’s daughter and friend are in the audience because of Zelda. Sofia loves her dress and calls her act “unique.” Simon preferred her first audition. He noted how he couldn’t hear her voice. “You got lost in the production.” Yes. That production was terrible. The track overpowered her.

Duo Rings – Acrobats

In their package, the acrobatic couple explain how they started as friends. They begin the routine already hanging in the air, but come back to start again. Their choreography is creative and interesting to watch. The two also make it look effortless. At one point, her arms are over her body. It’s a wonder they don’t break! The big finish is the guy dropping from the top of the theater. Very dramatic!

“I’ve never been this close to two hot people falling on me!” says Heidi. Sofia used all her buzzwords. She liked it. She noted their smooth transitions. Simon admires their passion and determination. They deserve to be in the final. It will be hard, though. Simon says Duo Rings and Pack Drumline were the best of the night. Howie calls it a winning performance.

Wyn Starks – Singer

In November of 2020, Wynn’s brother passed away. His audition song was one of his brother’s favorites. Wynn recorded the song and more for Curb Records, where he has a record deal. He sings a cover this week, Benson Boone’s “In The Stars” which is about losing a loved one to death. The song has spiritual overtones. His connection to the audience is better than his actual vocal ability.

“You are a very very brave man,” says Simon. He found his video package moving. Sofia calls Wynn loveable. “America is going to love you tonight.” Heidi says “We love you.”

Aiko Tanaka – Comedian

She moved to the US from Japan when she was a teen. Her mother passed away from COVID-19 last year. She wants to be the first comedian to win America’s Got Talent. She’s in her 40s and has been around the scene for awhile. She was very droll last time, and funnier. But maybe it’s that her jokes are too subtle for the venue. She’s likeable, nevertheless.

Aw. She’s crying. Howie says, “I like your joke” riffing on her routine. Heidi loves her attitude. Whoa. Running out of time? Simon doesn’t talk.

Madison Taylor Baez (Maddie)  – Kid singer – Howie Mandel Buzzer

Terry describes how he put Maddie in the audience to be picked on to sing by the warm up comic. He fails to mention that it was all a set up. And of course SIMON HAD NO IDEA! Sure, Jan. Maddie describes singing for her father who has been battling cancer for years. Tonight, she sings “Higher Love” by Stevie Winwood, which she describes as an “unexpected pick.” The trick will be turning it into a big Whitney Houston-like vocal performance. She’s a good singer, but the performance lacks that “Star Search” drama, although she does hit a big note before the key change.

Simon swears that the audience shtick last time was not rigged. Right. He notes that the performance wasn’t perfect, “but it didn’t matter.” It wasn’t as impactful as her first performance, but the judges aren’t going to say that.

Yu Hojin – Magician

In his video package, Yu shares that he was in an accident and almost died. Simon had said no to his audition, so he plans to REALLY step it up. Oh. He’s doing that storytelling magic thing, which is a little annoying. It will certainly distract from him obviously pulling items out of his dark shirt. Also, that picture board thingy he’s using seems to be a computer screen. On the upside, the routine has more energy than last time.

Heidi compliments his calm confidence. She calls it better than his audition. Simon thinks he helped him by saying no last time. “It pushed you to be a better magician. I am officially an idiot.” Howie describes the routine as beautiful and mesmerizing. Yu deserves his own room in Las Vegas, Howie declares.

Chapel Hart – Country trio – Group Buzzer

Chapel Hart has been kicking around Nashville for a while. But they had already laid the groundwork before auditioning for the show. They went immediately viral after their audition, with outlets that featured them before (CMT for instance) immediately on board. They perform another original song. It’s not as infectious as their first song, but it’s got a fun honky-tonk vibe. They obviously love their chosen genre. They really could break out with the help of AGT.

Simon predicts that “things will go very well for Chapel Hart.” He calls their songs brilliant and their performance skills amazing. He’s leaning hard on viewers picking up the phone and VOTING for the trio. Sofia is sure it’s going to be a good night for them. Howie calls them a “headline” show. Heidi mentions the other country act, Drake Milligan, who made it into the finals. She invokes “America’s Got County” saying Chapel Hart will join him.

 

About mj santilli 34841 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!